


Friends Shouldn't Kiss Me Like You Do

by thatblueskylark



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: I wouldn't say this is angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, TJ and Cyrus are adorable together, Tyrus - Freeform, and it's soft, fite me, i guess, it was supposed to be something short, oblivious boys are oblivious basically, there's a happy ending, this took longer than expected
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-10-25 06:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17719910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatblueskylark/pseuds/thatblueskylark
Summary: “So….” Cyrus said, suddenly picking up TJ’s interest. “We kissed.”“We kissed,” he repeated him, like a way of reaffirming what they already knew, just to make it more real.They had kissed.Or: Awkward teenagers kiss and think they are just friends after that because they misunderstood each other.





	1. TJ KIPPEN

**Author's Note:**

> _That friends just sleep in another bed_   
>  _And friends don't treat me like you do_   
>  _Well I know that there's a limit to everything_   
>  _But my friends won't love me like you_   
>  _No, my friends won't love me like you_
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _friends - Ed Sheeran_

    Sleepovers at Cyrus's house had become one of their things now, just like swing sets or chocolate chocolate-chip muffins. TJ could say with all the confidence in the world that this was one of his favorite things, if not his ultimate favorite thing to do with Cyrus.

      TJ hadn’t had many experiences with sleepovers in the past. In retrospect, friends and relationships, in general, weren’t his specialties. There was this one time some kids from second grade had invited him on a sleepover, it didn’t really end up well for him. He hadn’t really had any luck in the friend department since then. From broken friendships to not so meaningful ones, TJ had learned to not get too invested in these kinds of relationships.

    There was not much he could do about it, after all, people had always been a little scared of him, never wanting to approach him. So, when this little Jewish boy with big brown eyes and a caring smile started to talk to him, he didn’t really know how to react to this new kind of friendship.

    Cyrus Goodman came into his life softly, not making any sound at all. He felt as if the boy had walked towards him carefully hoping not to scare him away, and once TJ had noticed, he was already there for him, ready to turn his world upside down.

    Cyrus probably didn’t even know the impact he had on him. This boy with his comprehensive eyes and clumsy demeanor was like a ray of light for TJ, the person he could talk about everything at any moment, and he knew Cyrus would listen. TJ felt he could be his real self with him, without feeling stupid or mean, there was no need for him to maintain that bad-boy facade he had almost 24/7 with his friends and that was so refreshing.

    “Hey, TJ,” Cyrus said, popping his head from behind his bedroom door, his pajamas already on. “I’ll make some popcorn, you can start the movie without me if you want.”

    TJ, who was also wearing his pajamas, shook his head nonchalantly. “Nah, it’s fine, Underdog.” He rested his hands on the air bed placed right next to Cyrus’s bed. “I’ll wait for you, I know how much you like this movie.”

    “I was hoping you would say that,” Cyrus squeaked, getting excited already, his eyes gleaming before he disappeared behind the door. “I’ll be right back!”

    TJ kept smiling at the door even after the reason for his smile had vanished. He looked around the place, Cyrus’s room already set for the night. The laptop on the desk, the movie on Netflix just waiting for them to hit play, a cozy blanket next to them since he knew full well that Cyrus would get cold in the middle of the movie.

    TJ chuckled softly at the memory of Cyrus all wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito, sometimes taking out his hand just to grab some popcorn to then hide it away inside his warm cocoon. The basketball captain sighed deeply.

    How long has he been crushing on his best friend? He honestly can’t remember. TJ doesn’t even remember how he survived school without the little ray of sunshine texting him or chatting every time they met in the school hallways. He just remembers that suddenly he was smiling more, and laughing more, and being more open, too. It’s amazing how a person could change you completely.

    TJ wanted to be a better person for Cyrus, he had screwed it up so many times before already and he really wanted to avoid another “gun incident” again. Those days without Cyrus had been a living hell for him, and he honestly had believed he had lost him forever.

    It wouldn’t have surprised him, TJ had a knack for ruining beautiful things. However, Cyrus had accepted him again, and so had Buffy and Andi and even Jonah (who he didn’t even know he had bad blood with), and he finally felt as if their friendship was on solid ground, hopelessly wishing for it to bloom into something more.

    Suddenly, Cyrus’s voice broke TJ’s thoughts as he opened the door with his elbow and handed him the bowl full of microwaved popcorn. “I still can’t believe you haven’t watched _A Goofy Movie_ , TJ! It’s a literal classic!” He plunged himself off onto the air mattress, landing beside TJ, making the other boy almost lose balance.  

    “Laugh all you want, Cyrus, but you can’t tell me anything until you’ve watched _Labyrinth_ ,” TJ replied, confident as he was, making the other guy pout. TJ loved when Cyrus made that face.

    “The animatronics look scary! Also, why does David Bowie have to look so menacing in that movie!?”

    “Because he’s the goblin king, he isn’t prince perfect,” TJ retorted, already stuffing a handful of popcorn in his mouth. “Besides,” he said, all unintelligent as he ate, “he doesn’t look bad, David Bowie will always be handsome.”

    He could see Cyrus turning at him by the corner of his eyes, a little bit of shock in those big eyes. TJ knew he was making a bold move, even if his speech was completely incomprehensible at the moment and he wasn’t sure if he was making himself clear.

    He didn’t know if Cyrus was into guys, damn. Even if he was into guys, he didn’t even know if Cyrus would be into him. “Shall we start?” TJ said once his mouth was popcorn-free, hoping he didn’t sound as desperate as he was to change the topic.

 

-0-

 

    The movie was surprisingly good in TJ’s opinion, which made the expecting Cyrus smile brighter as he exclaimed, “I told you! It’s a classic.” Although, he wasn’t sure if he had enjoyed the movie because it simply was a good movie or because Cyrus knew all of the lyrics to all the songs and sang along with them, making every minute worth watching.

    He rolled his eyes at him, softly throwing him a pillow he had picked from Cyrus’s bed and making Cyrus finally stop his little victory dance. “Alright, Cy, you had your fun, now the next movie we gotta watch is _Labyrinth_ , and you can’t do anything about it.” TJ laughed.

    Cyrus quickly took the same pillow and sent it back to TJ. It landed right onto his face. “ **_Nevah_** !” He exclaimed followed by some nervous giggles. There was a gasp of incredulity from TJ as he just sat there, mouth agape while Cyrus laughed.

    “Ohh that was a bad idea, Goodman,” TJ said playfully before he launched himself towards Cyrus, making them both land on the air mattress. The smaller boy had to conceal a yelp since his parents were probably asleep, but he could not help the tiny giggles which escaped his lips as TJ kept tickling him.

    “T- Tee- Teej, please,” Cyrus pleaded between laughs, however, TJ was in too deep for him to stop.

    “Nope.” He simply chuckled, his fingers knowing all the right spots to make his friend contort from laughter as Cyrus tried to pry TJ’s hands away from him, unsuccessfully. “Not until you say you’ll watch _Labyrinth_ with me, Cy.”

    With tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, Cyrus nodded vigorously. “Alright! alright!” He finally gave up, making the other stop his attack, holding his wrist against the mattress as he raised an eyebrow. “I’ll watch the scary animatronics with you.” He huffed, his chest going up and down as they both recovered from the exercise, the two of them still laughing.

    It took TJ a minute to realize, after the laughter and giggles had died down, the position in which they were both in.

    Cyrus was underneath him, his big brown eyes wide as his hair stayed all tangled, so unlike him. Both of them were still as they could be, their faces completely red as they both realized what was going on and didn’t know what to do next. TJ was trying to catch his breath still, but it was quite difficult with those soulful eyes staring right back at him and oh god! He was so close to him! TJ could even count his long lashes if he wanted to, he hadn’t even noticed how long they were until that moment, in fact, he hadn’t noticed that he had been staring at him with a moonstruck gaze up until Cyrus had dared to speak.

    “T- TJ?” he murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

    Hearing his name being uttered from his crush’s lips in the softest way possible triggered something in him. He didn’t know what or how he got the courage to do it, but in just the blink of an eye, he leaned in, finally closing that little space they had between them.

    His heart stopped as his lips, warm and soft, collided with his; kissing him tenderly. TJ let himself smile for a brief moment, never imagining this could be happening to him. Cyrus always seemed so far away from him, like a star he would never get to reach; but now, at this moment, the star wasn’t an impossible dream, he was kissing Cyrus, and for a split second, he could have sworn Cyrus was kissing him back, timidly trying to say his name.

    TJ sat up straight suddenly, breaking the kiss with a gasp. His eyes opened wide as he realized what he had done. He couldn’t go around kissing people like that! What if Cyrus didn’t want to be kissed, what if he felt disgusted by him, he didn’t even know if he was gay! _Oh no_ , what if he hated him now?!

    “Oh my god” was the first thing that came from TJ’s lips, his hands running through his hair making a mess out of it. “Oh my god, I am so sorry, Cyrus, I-- I don’t kn- I’m--” He kept rambling, too busy to notice Cyrus’s face looking rather heartbroken by TJ’s words.

    “TJ….” Cyrus managed to say after a while, making TJ stop vomiting words that made little sense to him. “It’s fine,” he continued, his eyes still conveying softness and something else that TJ could not put his finger on.

    “No, it’s not fine,” TJ argued. He couldn’t believe how Cyrus could be so calm about it. Maybe… maybe he really didn’t have any feelings for him after all. “We are friends, Cyrus,” he said, struggling to say the words. “Also, I should have asked, at least, if you like boys! What I did was completely wrong of me and now you probably hate me.”

    “I don’t hate you, TJ,” Cyrus said softly, obviously still stunned by the whole ordeal but handling it much better than him. “Actually, just so you know….” He shyly smiled back at TJ, trying to recover that easy-going atmosphere they shared before. “I am... gay.” He shrugged self-consciously, visibly holding his breath as he waited for his reaction.

    TJ’s eyes widened at the news as he stared at the blushy boy who was trying so desperately not to meet his gaze. Cyrus was gay. Cyrus was gay! “You are?” His voice came out softer than he imagined, as he held back a smile.

    “Well, I mean, I just recently figured that out, it took me a while since it’s not easy, but I knew there was a reason why I didn’t like any girls at school or anywhere actually. In fact, dating a girl made me realize that exactly, I--” It was now Cyrus’s turn to ramble as TJ stared, speechless, listening to every word he said.

    “I- I also like guys,” TJ found himself saying out loud, his mind going miles per second and forgetting about consequences for a minute. If he had trusted him with this information then he could also be honest with him. Although maybe it was a little bit obvious now, nevertheless Cyrus stopped mid-sentence.

    “Oh, wow.” Cyrus couldn’t help but gasp softly, both guys gazing at each other before they avoided their eyes, chuckling nervously.  

    “I’m sorry I made this awkward.” TJ was the first to speak, his finger playing with the hem of his old basketball t-shirt. “Don’t try to deny it, Cy,” he was quick to add, seeing how Cyrus was trying to come up with something to contradict him. Which only made the smaller boy close his mouth. It took him a moment to find something else to say.

    “So….” he said, suddenly picking up TJ’s interest. “We kissed.”

    “We kissed,” he repeated him, like a way of reaffirming what they already knew, just to make it more real.

    They had kissed.

    Maybe it was time for TJ to speak up, maybe this was the moment he had been waiting for. He could finally tell Cyrus how he felt! “Cyrus, I--”

    “We’re still friends, right?” The other boy was quicker than him, his eyes not even looking at TJ, as if fearing what he would say.

_Oh._

    “Of course,” TJ replied, hoping not to sound as heartbroken as he felt, giving his friend a smile so he would feel better. _Of course_. The two words echoed in his head. He should have known better, he knew he was asking too much when he hoped for Cyrus to feel the same way as him, yet he had hoped.

    Another awkward silence began, this time TJ being the one trying not to stare at Cyrus. However, his mind could not be still, trying to process all the information he had just received in the small period of time.

    “So…” TJ started, trying to imitate Cyrus just a moment ago, “was I…?  Have you…? I mean, did you…? The kiss…?” It was so hard for him to convey his thoughts when even he himself didn’t know exactly what he wanted to ask.

    Cyrus smiled that sweet smile TJ loved, and he suddenly felt better about himself. “If I had kissed a boy before?” Cyrus guessed, raising an eyebrow. TJ nodded, still amazed at how well this boy knew him. Cyrus blushed, taking the pillow they had been playing with not so long ago and hugging it. “Well, I have kissed a girl before but a boy?” His cheeks had became bright red at this point. “… You- you were the first boy I’ve kissed,” he muttered, barely comprehensible, slowly dragging each word.

    TJ gulped at this, not really knowing how to react to this information. “Are you disappointed that it was _me_?” he dared to ask, his voice so low he could barely hear himself speaking. He was pleasantly surprised when Cyrus shook his head, a timid smile on his face.

    “N-no… Actually, I’m glad it was you, TJ,” he said bashfully.

    “You are?” TJ smiled, letting himself feel a bit happy of that fact. He was Cyrus’s first kiss with a boy. “It’s because I’m a complete catch, isn’t it?” he teased, already feeling a little more at ease.

    His comment rewarded him with a pillow thrown to his face. “Oh, shut it, TJ.” To which he let a chuckle escape. “But… if I’m being honest,” Cyrus continued, picking up his interest, “I-- I used to have a crush on you.”

    TJ’s mind went blank, his only rational thoughts being: _Excuse me. Can we stop the tape for a second? He said_ **_WHAT_ ** _?!_

    “I don’t have it anymore!” Cyrus was soon to emphasize, unconsciously breaking his heart as he spoke, his face still blushing. “That… that was mo-months ago, and we are such good friends now, I wouldn’t want to ruin it.”

    Cyrus had had a crush on him before? TJ could have asked him out and he would have said yes? And now that opportunity had slipped through his fingers only because he waited too long? He was mentally reprimanding himself for being such a coward. He must have still seemed surprised by the revelation since Cyrus started to bite his lip, sensing again the awkward atmosphere. “TJ… are you okay?”

    “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said quickly. “Just… wow, I never noticed it, that’s all.” He really hadn't noticed!

    “It’s okay, TJ. It’s not as if you have a crush on me or anything.” He shrugged it off as if it were nothing, unaware of his feelings.

    “Yeah…” he only managed to reply, his voice filled with disappointment.

    “By the way, TJ. Can I ask you a question?” Cyrus continued. “Why did you kiss me?”

_Oh. Oh no._

    “I think- I think it was the moment?” He came up with a story quickly. “I mean, it's what usually happens in the movies, right? And… well, I haven’t really--” He bit his lip, taking a deep breath. “I haven’t _kissed_ a boy before and it just felt... _right_?”

    Cyrus just nodded slowly, as if trying to make sense of everything TJ had just said. He was saying the truth. It had felt right: the moment, the closeness, the way Cyrus had stared at him and how good it felt when both of their lips were finally together. It all felt like a dream, even if that dream ended quite abruptly.

    “Do you regret it?” Cyrus asked. “Kissing me, I mean.”

    “What? no!” TJ exclaimed, bewildered by the absurd question. “Do you?”

    “N-no” was his simple reply, his fingers playing with a broken thread from the blanket.

    There was silence again, TJ was getting tired of those. It wasn’t like the normal silences they shared, the ones in which he felt at peace just because Cyrus was around. He opened his mouth again, ready to suggest that maybe it was time for them to go to sleep already, however, Cyrus’s words shut him up. “S-say that again?” TJ’s voice came out with a tremble.

    “Would you kiss me again?” Cyrus repeated.

    TJ blinked at that. It hadn’t been his imagination, after all, Cyrus had actually said those words. He looked at the boy in front of him, his big eyes conveying nervousness but his whole demeanor firm by his words.

    “S-su-sure,” TJ stuttered, _completely_ not opposed to the idea! He was trying not to make it so obvious that he was thrilled by this. “But wait a minute, Cyrus, are you sure you wanna do this?” he asked, still confused by his proposal.

    “Y-yeah!” Cyrus tried to act as if it were something completely normal to ask, shrugging it off and trying not to act so nervous, failing miserably, even TJ could notice he was starting to sweat. “It’s only a kiss, right? Between friends, th-that’s normal? I don’t know when I will kiss anyone again, might as well be never at this rate.” Oh, TJ _sooo_ doubted that he would never kiss anyone, with how adorable and nice he was, he could have any person fall in love with him if he wanted to.

    “So!” Cyrus continued, trying to look decided. “Kiss me already, TJ Kippen, before this rush of self-confidence runs out and I start to re-evaluate my life choices.”

    TJ did not wait for Cyrus to ask him twice, leaning his body closer to him, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest, its beating being almost the only thing he could hear. Cyrus stared at him, not moving away from him, his brown eyes fixed on his green eyes. This was happening, TJ told himself, holding his breath as he leaned closer, his hand softly cupping Cyrus's face. The touch made them both shudder, his breath hitching.

    “TJ, don't make this more--” The basketball player shut him up before he could complete his sentence, his lips meeting his in an abrupt kiss.

    He was kissing Cyrus again.

    TJ let himself enjoy this kiss, savoring every moment. He savored the way Cyrus leaned towards him, or the way his face felt underneath his hand, so soft, so warm. The kiss didn't last more than a minute probably, his hands already parting ways as his reluctant lips did so as well.

    They both opened their eyes slowly, unaware they had closed them. Cyrus stared at him, mouth agape. “Wow,” they both said at the same time, earning a fit of nervous giggles from both of them.

    “Yep, I'm definitely gay,” TJ joked, sighing as he rested his body against Cyrus's bed.

    “Definitely better than kissing Iris,” Cyrus added, earning a raised brow from TJ. “Oh! She was the girl I used to date, she was really nice, we had many things in common but….”

    “She wasn't a guy,” TJ finished for him, making Cyrus nod bashfully. “Well, well, well, who would have thought! Cyrus Goodman has more experience than me.”

    “I can give you some dating advice if you want.”

    “Nah, I'm ok, Goodman. I don't want to date a girl,” TJ teased, leaving the ‘I wanna date you’ out of the equation. Cyrus chuckled at this, the conversation seemingly over.

    Already on a lighter note, they started talking about the movies they needed to see next (which were: _Labyrinth_ and _The Goonies_ , being TJ’s choices; and _10 things I Hate About You_ and _Grease_ being Cyrus’s.) It took them a while to finally decide that it was time to sleep.

    “Night, Teej,” Cyrus said once he jumped on his bed, leaving the comfort of the air mattress to his friend.

    “Night, Cy.”

 

-0-

 

    They should have acted more awkward the next morning, TJ thought, however, things went on quite normally as any other time he had stayed at Cyrus’s house.

     They woke up pretty much at the same hour, chatted a little about what they were going to do on the weekend, went to eat breakfast, and then, he was ready to go home. Nothing out of the ordinary, in fact, TJ was starting to feel like everything that happened the previous night was a crazy dream he had and that _obviously_ Cyrus was not gay nor had he had a crush on TJ.

    That, of course, until Cyrus brought up the topic again.

    “Hey, TJ.” Cyrus stopped him before he could walk farther away from him, his voice being like a magnet to TJ. He couldn’t deny anything the boy requested from him. “Yesterday night was nice, I’m glad we had that conversation.” Cyrus smiled, although TJ could notice it missed its usual spark.

    “Yeah, me too.” He smiled back. “Still friends, right?” he said, lifting his hand so they would finally say bye, expecting Cyrus to fist bump him or something like that. Cyrus smiled, his face difficult for TJ to read at this point, and he took his hand, unexpectedly pulling him into a hug.

    “What a question,” Cyrus chuckled, the sound of his voice muffled by TJ’s jacket. It took a moment for TJ to react to the hug, partly because his heart was beating fast and he was scared Cyrus would hear it. However, he finally rested his arms around the sunshine boy, smiling. They didn’t do hugs before, he guessed this was a new thing for them too.

    They slowly pulled apart, their hands still intertwined, their bodies still wanting more of that warm they shared. Their faces were close as they looked at each other, TJ could see the confusion on Cyrus’s face, the same look he had given him yesterday night when he had kissed him. He stared down at his lips, slightly parted, slightly shaped, and completely yelling at TJ to kiss them again.

    “I- I have to go!” he stuttered, coughing slightly and stepping away from Cyrus as quickly as he could, his hand going up to his hair, trying to act at least a bit normal.  

    “Ye-Yeah, totally, right,” Cyrus replied, equally nervous, rubbing his hands on his jeans rapidly before gesturing to the path ahead. “You- Your mom must be worried.”

    “Totally, yeah yeah.” TJ walked backward, almost tripping. “Bye, Underdog.” He smiled, finally rushing away from Cyrus’s porch, not looking back even though he so desperately wanted to.  

 

-0-

 

    The kiss incident became a sort of taboo for them as the days went on. Neither of them really speaking about it, but being perfectly aware of its existence. They acted jumpier if that could describe the way they would pull away suddenly anytime they noticed they we really close to each other, visibly blushing.

    TJ had tried to brush it off on one occasion, hoping to break the curse that was following them since that night. His plan didn't turn out as TJ had initially imagined.

    It was the day of their match with The Alligators, the nearby school which had that obnoxious captain. Cyrus knew about this rivalry and he always showed up to give his support to the team, even bringing some snacks and water so everyone would be in their best shape. TJ adored when he did that, although by doing so they had raised some rumors about their relationship.

    TJ had been waiting for him outside the gym, wearing his basketball uniform ready for the game. Most of the students were already inside, excited to see the game start, but there was still some minutes more before it actually began. 

    He wasn't worried though, he knew Cyrus was on his way, he never missed his games unless Buffy was playing at the same time as him, and since Buffy was going on a date with Marty and Andi had probably gone home already, not really being a basketball fan herself, that meant Cyrus was definitely coming.

    It didn't take long for Cyrus to finally appear inside the common room, carrying a basket full of snacks and awkwardly kicking a heavy box of water bottles. The poor boy couldn't really move at all as he tried to get to TJ, having trouble handling both things at the same time. This was TJ's time to shine, he thought. “Hey, Cy, let me help you with that.” He stepped in closer, taking the box from the floor and carrying it effortlessly.

    “Thanks, TJ.” Cyrus smiled. “There is another box of water behind the door.” He gestured with his head. “Can you bring it here, too?”

    “ _As you wish._ ” TJ winked at him, leaving the box on the ground again to go pick up the other one, smiling at the blush he had stolen from the other boy.

    Once he brought the box with him, and they were alone in the common room, they both started to talk about the game, and how he needed some good luck.

    “I’m sure you’ll win, TJ, you’ve been practicing so much, and I brought snacks!” Cyrus cheered, trying to make him feel better. “I’m like your team’s lucky charm, if they are well hydrated, they can’t lose.”

    “What about a good luck kiss from the lucky charm? Will it bring me luck too?” TJ teased, leaning over a bit so that they would be closer.

    At that specific moment, He had thought being flirty was a good idea for them to feel more comfortable with one another again. They needed to get over the awkwardness and embrace their new dynamic, right?

    Cyrus’s face had lit up by his sudden comment. TJ chuckled. “I’m only teas--” TJ did not finish that sentence, in fact, he forgot anything about it the moment he felt Cyrus’s lips onto his in a short and quite abrupt kiss.

    Cyrus was the one who broke the kiss, staring at TJ for a reaction while the poor guy was left stunned, mouth agape and trying to process what had just happened. “Wh- Wha--” TJ stuttered, staring at Cyrus for an explanation.

    “A good luck kiss,” Cyrus said, his face just as red as TJ’s. “Now you better go and win that game, TJ.” He patted his shoulder awkwardly, quickly walking away from him.

    “Wait, Cyrus!” he yelled, glad there was no one around. The other boy turned around, obviously trying to run away from what had just happened. “Are we…?”

    “Friends,” he simply replied, walking away from him.

    There was a tiny little part of him that had believed that they were probably going to be something more after that moment, but no. Needless to say, they won the game, but not because of TJ’s concentration on the ball, definitely.

    Moments like that were starting to become more and more regular between them. Now, the awkward _‘we-are-so-close’_ moments had become excuses for them to kiss. Sometimes it would be Cyrus who came with the excuses, other times it would be him. They kissed before games, after games; they kissed after classes and on their way home when no one was around to see them. TJ even kissed him on the swingset they so much loved just because _‘you have ice cream on your face.’_

    He didn’t understand the relationship they had any more. Was it only friends, was it friends with benefits? God forbid! He was so in love with Cyrus, but he couldn’t stop this new routine of theirs.

    How to say _no_ to him? He knew they should stop, Cyrus probably thought the same, even Buffy and Andi thought the same when they got to know about this unspoken arrangement the two of them had.

    “Are you kidding me, Kippen? Are you actually kidding me?” Buffy exploded one day as soon as Cyrus was gone from The Spoon. They had gone to eat after a long day at school, and he hadn’t noticed Andi and Buffy’s deadly gazes, too focused on Cyrus’s conversation to actually care about the other two.

    TJ frowned, completely taken aback by her reaction “What did I do now, Buffy?” Things had been fine five minutes ago, how could they be angry at him all of the sudden? He hadn’t done anything.

    “Oh don’t you dare, Kippen,” Buffy gasped. 

    “How can you do this to Cyrus!?” Andi exclaimed. “We thought we could trust you with Cyrus, but clearly we were wrong.” She crossed her arms as she stared right at him, he had never seen her so mad at him before, not even when Buffy couldn’t stand him.

    At her comment, TJ’s face changed completely. “Wait, what? I didn’t do anything, is he okay?” he asked, actually worried.

    “Oh, please, don’t act all innocent now, TJ.” Buffy rolled her eyes.

    “We know what is going on with you and Cyrus,” Andi explained.

    “ _Oh_ ,” he murmured, surprised. That couldn’t be good.

    “Oh, indeed,” Buffy snapped, enunciating each syllable. “What do you think you are doing by playing with his feelings like this? He has enough trouble having to get over you already.”

    “If you don’t wanna date him, just tell him already! He doesn't deserve it” Andi added.

    “Wait, you think I don’t want to date Cyrus.” TJ almost laughed at the sole thought, not even bothering to ask how they knew he liked their friend in the first place.

    It was obvious that Cyrus had talked about what happened with them and he wasn’t surprised about that, he gathered it was bound to happen eventually, but their comments? That was the only thing he couldn’t get. “I’ve been trying to tell him how I feel for weeks now! He doesn’t want me, it’s obvious, besides, he told me he was over me.”

    TJ sighed, his heart pounding strongly in his chest. He knew all of this, he truly knew all of this, but somehow it hurt even more now that he was putting it into words. Andi and Buffy stared at him bewildered by this confession and then at each other, obviously not expecting him to explode as he did.

    “Wait, TJ” Buffy frowned her eyebrows, “He said that to you?”

    He only nodded.

    “But that doesn’t-” Andi was cut off by Buffy’s hand, making him raised an eyebrow.

    “TJ, what happened that night?”

    He was reluctant at first, if Buffy had asked him this two months ago he would have probably denied everything, but things were different now, and he needed to talk to someone.

    He told them everything, since the sleepover incident to how this routine started. He told them about his feelings for their friend and how Cyrus had practically rejected him many times already. He didn’t understand why the girls were staring so weirdly at him.

    “Look, I’ll stop with the kisses, alright?” he declared, running his fingers through his hair. “I need to move on anyway.”

    “Oh. My. God.” Andi gasped, softly.

    “I cannot believe this,” agreed Buffy.

    TJ groaned, rolling his eyes. “I know, I ruined it! I should have told Cyrus how I felt long ago, but I was scared, ok! I’ve never had a crush like this before and it’s confusing and he’s my first actual friend, I didn’t want to ruin it by adding feelings”

    And even so, he had.

    “You are so oblivious, Kippen!” Buffy shook her head.

    Andi and Buffy let the incident go and for a moment, they were trying to persuade him to confess to Cyrus again, being quite supportive about it.

    “You should try, TJ, you’ll be surprised” Andi smiled.

    TJ smiled back, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. HE never thought being open with Buffy and Andi would make him feel so relieved. However…

    “Thank you for listening, girls” TJ sighed “But it’s never gonna happen” it was all hopeless, Cyrus was out of his reach.

    So, he decided to continue on with what he promised and he was being serious! But when it was time to stop, and Cyrus and himself had been laughing all the way to the park, and Cyrus had to say goodbye because he needed to arrive early to his house, and he lingered for a moment, staring at him with those beautiful chocolate eyes he had; how could he not kiss him?!

    It was a dream come true, a dream that was always shattered when that awful word was spoken.

    “Friends?”

    “Friends.”

    It didn’t matter who asked first and who replied anymore. TJ only knew his heart was paying the price.

 

-0-

 

    It had been nearly two months since Cyrus and TJ had started sharing their meaningless secret kisses when, unsurprisingly to everyone, the question was raised by one of TJ’s teammates after practice.

    “Hey, Kippen,” Adam called, the rest of the guys already in the locker room getting ready to go home. “I was wondering something about you and Cyrus,” he continued, making the guys raise their heads, interested in the question he was about to ask. “Are you two guys like _a thing_?”

    “A thing?“ TJ frowned, confused by the question.

    The team just rolled their eyes, some of them turning their heads back to whatever they were doing, some others frustratedly staring at TJ, obviously invested in the situation and tired of his obliviousness.

    “Yeah, y’know, a couple, TJ,” Adam continued, raising an eyebrow, clearly thinking he had been very specific.

    “Oh” was his only reply, feeling everyone’s eyes fixed on him. “Well, no… Not really, no.” He ran his fingers through his hair, shrugging awkwardly. The entire team groaned at this point, making him frown in confusion.

    “Dude, when are you going to ask him out!?” said one of them.

    “Wait, what?” TJ asked puzzled.

    “Yeah, come on, Kippen, we are dying here!” said another.

    “Seeing you guys get together is so frustrating!” Adam added.

    “Is it possible that everyone knows that I like Cyrus?” He raised his arms, feeling completely attacked at that moment.

    “ **_Yes!”_** his entire team replied, almost yelling. Was he that transparent to them?

    “I’m surprised Cyrus hasn’t said anything yet, to be honest,” one guy said.

    “I thought you guys were a couple,” another one chuckled, amused by the entire conversation.

    “If you haven’t asked him out yet, you should hurry up and do it, TJ. I heard that new kid Jason was going to ask him out soon,” another of his team, George, said; not really paying attention to the conversation anymore.

    “Wait, who? Who the hell is Jason?”

    “TJ, man, you are a great captain but I swear to god, you are so dense sometimes.” Adam sighed, shaking his head. “Jason is that new guy who is on the soccer team. You must have seen him; brown hair, blue eyes, tall, he has already quite a few fans in the school?”

    He had heard about that guy before. He was in the same year as him, they shared history classes if he was not mistaken, and he was already one of the most popular guys from what TJ had heard. 

    The thing was that he didn’t really retain that useless information for a long time, not when he had other things to worry about (like keeping his good grades or his relationship with Cyrus). All of the comments about this new guy had gone past him, but if what his friends were saying was true then that would explain why Andi and Buffy had been bugging him about when he was going to actually tell Cyrus how he felt.

    “Everyone knows he’s bi,” George added, seemingly done with whatever he was doing before because he now stood next to TJ. “Someone from the soccer team said he said Cyrus was cute and now everyone thinks he’s going to ask him out, you should really pay more attention to the rumors, TJ.”

    “This is all new information for me, guys,” he exclaimed, putting his t-shirt on. “How was I supposed to know about all this?”

    TJ was ready to get out of there, a stinging pain in his heart. “Besides! He doesn’t know if Cyrus is into guys, how could he ask him if he doesn’t know.”

    “I’ve got some newsflash for you, TJ,” one other friend said. “You don’t need to know if the other person is into guys to ask them on a date.” He patted him on the shoulder before he left.


	2. CYRUS GOODMAN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ is nowhere to be found, Jason is charming and Cyrus is confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _But then again, if we're not friends,_   
>  _Someone else might love you too._   
>  _And then again, if we're not friends,_   
>  _There'd be nothing I could do..._

     For Cyrus, these past few months hadn’t been his usual uneventful ones. He got an A on his PE class which he was really proud of, he started a new script for a short film he was hoping to finish; and oh! He had kissed TJ Kippen. Multiple times. In multiples occasions.

     When it came to TJ, his feelings were still a little bit of a mess. It hadn’t been long since he realized he had fallen for the basketball captain, a little hard to miss when his heart pounded rapidly whenever their hands brushed together, shivers running down his spine.

     The first time TJ had kissed him, he had thought he was dreaming. He couldn’t find any other explanation to why this was happening, and for a split second, he had imagined that TJ actually liked him back; but of course, as soon as the kiss was broken so was the dream.

     As he repeated the scene in his head for the thousandth time, he wondered, not for the first time, what was going on inside TJ’s head. ‘ _it was the moment_ ’ he had said.

     A rational reason, he thought then when his senses were still numb and the kiss was still messing with his head, but the more he thought about it the more unbelievable that reason became. Why would he kiss him if he didn’t like him even a little? That didn’t make sense.

 _‘_ _We’re still friends, right?_ ’ Cyrus had said that night. _‘I used to have a crush on you.’_

     What a lie, he wanted to laugh at his own words now. He had panicked at that moment. He didn’t want to lose his friendship so he had just blurted out those words in a weak attempt to stop whatever was happening; besides, TJ said them first after all.

     Cyrus knew they hadn’t been honest with themselves that night, friends don’t kiss each other as they did, but a part of him was still reluctant to believe that TJ would have a crush on him.

     Why would someone like TJ, handsome and charismatic as he is, would ever think of him, clumsy and uncoordinated Cyrus, as anything but a friend?  

     He recalled what had happened in the afternoon after TJ’s basketball practice that day. He had been waiting for him outside the lockers room, ready for them to walk together back home as they did from time to time.

     Cyrus noticed he was acting weird, he was quiet and had only smiled once or twice at him, completely different from his usual self. Thankfully, it didn’t take Cyrus much to finally make him laugh, staring at him with that smile of his that never failed to make him feel all giddy inside.

     He hadn’t expected TJ to stop on his tracks so suddenly, holding his hand so to stop him. Cyrus was about to speak, worried about this abrupt change but he couldn’t say anything.

     TJ was kissing him again. No excuses, no reasons behind it, just a tender kiss that was making his heart melt. TJ was kissing him much softer than any other kiss they had shared, his hand still holding his and his other cupping his face. He had just kissed him so sweetly and Cyrus’s own heart was filled with hope.

     ‘ _This is it_ ’ Cyrus thought as they parted their lips and their eyes met, this was moment TJ was finally going to tell him how he really felt, that this game of theirs had to stop for something else to bloom; but TJ tripped over his own words, excusing himself as he went the other way, leaving him as confused as before.

     Cyrus sighed as he stared blankly at his white ceiling, the luminescent plastic stars that were stuck there since he was a little kid, dimly fading its glow, making his bedroom look darker and lonelier.

     They hadn’t repeated their sleepovers since the incident happened, they haven’t talked about having another one. Maybe he should ask TJ to come over one day? He had promised TJ they were going to watch _Labyrinth_ after all. Cyrus shook his head immediately after that thought, triggering the memory of their first kiss again.

     There was a feeling of guilt every time he remembered their kisses. Cyrus felt as if he was taking advantage of their situation, and it didn’t feel right. Cyrus knew he had to tell TJ they needed to stop, but he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to those little moments in which he could imagine his fantasy to be true.

     Why was it so difficult to be honest with him? Cyrus asked himself as he remembered how TJ met his lips for the very first time, how his hand cupped his face tenderly. He had kissed him so softly, almost as if he had been scared of touching him making his heart melt by it.

     Cyrus rolled on his bed with a groan, the memory burned in his brain, feeling how his cheeks warmed up and his heart felt like exploding. Gosh, he was so in love with TJ, and TJ didn’t even know it.

     He sighed, his mind already tired by all the thinking. He forced himself to close his eyes. “come on, Brain” he whispered “I have science first thing in the morning and you know better than anyone that we can't fall asleep again in that class”

  


-0-

  


     “I cannot believe you fell asleep in science class _again_ ” Buffy exclaimed once they were finally sat down on the cafeteria table.

     “That’s what you can’t believe? He has detention, Buffy!” Andi added, equally bewildered. “Has that happened before, is this your first time in detention, Cyrus?”

     Thinking about it, he hadn’t been in detention before, he was a good student and his anxiety would never let him do something against the rules. “There was that time we dressed as jail prisoners, although I’m not sure we can count that as detention. It was equally stressing though.”

     “I think you’re missing the point here, Cyrus” Buffy leaned closer, her face serious “You have detention because you didn’t sleep because I’m sure you were overthinking the whole TJ situation last night!” She didn’t quite shout it out, but might as well have with that tone of voice, accentuating every reason.

     Cyrus’s cheeks went bright red, biting his lips nervously. The worst part? He couldn’t deny it.

     “Cy, I think it’s time for you to talk with him,” Buffy continued.

     “I would love to do it, Buffy!” He exclaimed, his tone of voice borderline sarcastic “But it is quite impossible when the boy is so oblivious!”

     “He’s got a point there” Andi pursed her lips, agreeing with him. “He is just as oblivious as Jonah and that’s saying something.”

     Buffy tried not to laugh at the comparison, the whole crew knowing full well that it was true, “Look, I’m only saying you should be honest about your feelings Cyrus,” Buffy continue “TJ likes you. A lot. You only need to give him more hints that you feel the same way about him or just tell him you like him too”

     “Girls, come on, we’ve been through this” He sighed, shoulders dropping hopelessly “I find that very unlikely to be true. I have-- I have _kissed_ him plenty of times already to let him know how I feel but in the end we keep saying the word ‘ friends ’ ” Cyrus couldn’t help the stutter in her voice, still not used to saying that out loud “There's always an excus--” He stopped for a moment, his cheeks reddening at the memory of their last kiss “He- He doesn’t like me” Cyrus spat, as if trying to make a point.

     Oh, but he could never trick his friends. They were already smirking, knowing full well he was hiding something.

     “An excuse?” Andi teased, her eyebrows arching.

     “Cyrus? Why are you blushing?” Buffy copied the same tone, leaning closer to him.

     “I don’t know Buffy, all their kisses are platonic after all, there are no feelings in between”    

     “Girls, please”

     “Girls, YES” both exclaimed.

     “Hey, guys” Another voice joined them suddenly. “What’s up?” The always smiling Jonah approached them, sitting down right next to him.

     “Girl power” Andi smiled.

     “Cool,” His friend chuckled “Oh, right, Cyrus, are you busy after school?”

     The question took him a little by surprised, knitting his brows slightly confused “Kinda? I have detention.”

     “You have detention!?” Jonah exclaimed, his voice almost sounding impressed. “Has this happened before?” Jonah asked, amused.

     “This is the first time,” He shrugged “I guess I’m a bad boy now” Cyrus crossed his arms, trying to make a seemingly cool pose to which Andi and Buffy only rolled their eyes.

     “Damn, Cyrus” Jonah laughed yet his face pursed right after “that’s a pity, though; I wanted to know if you would like to go on a double date today? But maybe we can leave it for another day”

     “With you?” Cyrus knitted his brows, confused with this sudden question.

     “Oh! no, not with me” Jonah blushed, “There is this guy from the soccer team that asked me about you, he wants to ask you out.” Jonah teased, looking at everyone before he locked his eyes on Cyrus again “He is a really cool guy, his name is Jason Rodriguez” Andi and Buffy stared at Jonah with their eyes wide open at that name.

     The information was coming too quickly for him to process what was happening. His face completely red as he kept listening to Jonah “What?” Cyrus just stared puzzled at Jonah “Did you tell him I’m gay?”

     “What? No, of course not.” Jonah was surprised by the accusation, “No, this guy just wanted to know if you were seeing someone, for some crazy reason he had the idea that you and TJ were dating” He laughed, amused by the obviously impossible thought.

     “Can you imagine” He could hear Buffy’s sarcastic tone, Jonah completely missing it.

     “So, what do you say? Libby and me, you and Jason? Bowling and tater tots?” He smiled deviously.

     “Do you remember the last time we went on a double date?”

     Jonah smiled, clearly remembering that day "This time will be different, I promise" 

  


-0-

  


     Cyrus ended up saying no to Jonah’s offer, to which Jonah completely understood. He felt overwhelmed by the invitation, even a little flattered by the fact that someone out there thought of him as a date-able person, but it was definitely not the time nor the right person.

     If TJ had asked him out he wouldn’t have hesitated on saying yes. They would have moved on from their constant state of confusion and finally accepted their feelings. But now there was another boy he had to worry about, and he didn’t even know who he was.

     Cyrus entered quietly to the library, the room where the detention took place, with a shadow of shame over his shoulders. There weren’t many students yet, but he gathered it was because it was still quite early. He took a deep breath and chose one of the many empty desks available.

     It was a surreal feeling to be sitting there all by himself, he always thought that if he was ever going to be on detention it would be with Andi or Buffy, the three musketeers, the three Caballeros, but the reality was quite lonesome.

     He felt the seat next to him move suddenly, a boy who seemed a little bit older than himself pulled the seat so to sit next to him.

     “Mind if I sit?” The boy asked, his smile sweet and kind.

     “Not at all” Cyrus replied, equally polite.

     He felt a little self-aware of the situation, looking around the other tables and realizing that there were plenty of empty chairs and tables from which the boy could have chosen to sit. The librarian, scary Mrs. Devlin, only stared at them for a moment, seemly not bothered by the small exchange of words.

     Cyrus and new his seat partner stayed silence for a while, his eyes turning to look at Cyrus from time to time. He was quite distracting with those big blue eyes. He was starting to feel nervous for some reason, his face blushing slightly.  

     It took him some minutes for his mind to finally drift into his own imagination, thinking on his next film project and to be quite honest with himself, he wasn’t really focusing on it. His mind kept wandering from TJ’s weird behavior the last time he kissed him to the radio silence that followed it.

     He hadn’t seen him today at lunch and he hadn’t texted him all day. Cyrus hoped he was alright.

     His thoughts were interrupted suddenly when the boy next to him tap him on his shoulder, his blue eyes gesturing the white paper on the table, a pen right next to it. Cyrus was quite confused for a moment but decided to be polite and read the note the other had written.

 _‘ Hey ’_ was written with messy handwriting, the boy smiling as if on cue once Cyrus raised his eyes at him. He took the pen, making sure the librarian was not looking at them.

 _‘ Hey ’_ He wrote back, subtly handing back the pen to him.  

_‘ why are you here if you don’t mind the question? ’_

_‘ I fell asleep in science class, nothing out of the extraordinary. You? ‘_

     The other read the comment, pursing his lips.

_‘ Oh, I see --  Me? oh, what I haven’t done hehe ‘_

     Cyrus read the note, smiling a little at the last part.

_‘ That sounds rather ominous, should I be scared of you? ’_

_‘ Nah, why would you be scared of me? I’m the nicest person ever’_

_‘ That’s exactly what an evil genius would say ’_

_‘ Evil genius? I like that ;) ’_

     With all the distraction of their small chat, he didn’t realize they were starting to chuckle, earning a distressful ‘ _shh_ ’ from Mrs. Devlin. The guys were soon silenced but they were still holding back their laughter. The two boys spent the remaining of the hour in silence, sending notes to each other from time to time and as soon as the bell rang, the two of them sighed, glad it was over.

     As they walked out of the library, Cyrus could notice the height difference between them, the other boy was way taller than him, he was even taller than TJ and that was saying something. He doesn’t remember seeing him in school before.

     “That lady librarian was scary” the boy commented, breaking the silence that overtook them.

     “That would be Mrs. Devlin, she’s scary, but at least detention wasn’t that bad” Cyrus sighed, already relieved the nightmare was over. “I actually quite enjoy it”

     “Me too” replied the other, smiling softly at him “Hey, can I have your number? I’m new so I don’t really have many friends here”

     “Sure” Cyrus smiled, taking the other’s phone and adding his number in.

     “Cyrus” The tall guy read out loud once he saw the number on his phone “Here, that’s my number” he added, the sound of Cyrus’s phone ringing telling him that he had just sent a message.

     “what’s your name?” Cyrus asked once he saw the smiley emoji on his screen, ready to save the other’s number as well.

     “Jason” he simply replied.  

     His fingers stopped quite abruptly typing at that name. It couldn’t be the same Jason that Jonah had been telling him about, right? no, that was impossible!

     “Hey, I have to go now, my mom must be worried, but I’ll be texting you soon, Cyrus! It was really nice meeting you” Jason smiled as he walked away from him.

     “Nice to meet you too, Jason!” He replied, trying not to act as nervous as he was feeling. Jason smiled, waving goodbye while Cyrus stared at him as he disappeared through the school gates.  

  


-0-

  


     It was a good thing that _Andi Shack_ was still their little place of secrecy even when they were beginning to get taller and everything seemed smaller. Cyrus didn’t know where else he could tell the girls about what had just happened to him: TJ’s last kiss and the new guy. Not even the spoon felt safe anymore, not when TJ could walk in at any moment.

     “So, let me get this straight” Buffy started, clearly astonished by Cyrus's story “Are you telling us that the guy that asked you out through Jonah was in detention with you?”

     “ _And_ he got your number?”

     “ _ **And** _he's texting you already?”

     Cyrus nodded, biting his lips nervously.

     Once he confirmed that the Jason he met at detention was the same as the one who Jonah had been talking about his brain hasn’t stopped screaming. He couldn’t comprehend how a guy like Jason wanted to go out with someone like him.

     Actually, what he couldn’t comprehend yet was how this boy with eyes like the ocean was so open about it! Cyrus had taken his time to come to terms with who he really was, he still wasn't out to many people in the school, the only ones knowing about his sexuality being his closest friends.

     It hadn't been nearly an hour since he had met the soccer player and he was already texting him dog meme about dogs. How did he know he like dogs memes!?

     “Damn, That Jason guy is good” Buffy let herself fall onto the many pillows of Andi’s improvised bed, her stunned face speaking volumes.

     “Not helping, Buffy!” Cyrus raised his eyebrows.

     “What? I must admit, he is way smoother than TJ”

     “But did you tell him that you didn’t want to go out with him?” Andi asked, taking Cyrus’s hand between hers.

     “He didn’t ask me out,” Cyrus explained “We just talked a little during that hour, he was very nice”

     “Maybe he just wants to be friends?” Her friend with the pixie hair suggested, not really buying it herself.

     “If what Jonah said was right and he is already texting Cyrus, then I doubt it” Buffy replied

     “What has he texted you?” Andi asked excitedly. She was just happy to have some drama to be part of.

     “just some memes he thought I would like” He handed her his phone with the texts already opened; Buffy quickly sitting next to Andi just to read the texts together. “He had asked me where was a good place to eat here and of course I said The Spoon had the best baby taters in the world” He smiled, proud of himself.

     Cyrus was too busy explaining his situation to notice the changes on his friends’ faces.

     “Uhm… Cy?” Buffy called him, “TJ has just texted you” they handed him again his phone.

     “Has he!?” Cyrus almost snatched it from Andi’s hands, staring down at the sole notification, a simple ‘ hey ’ without the usual emojis.

     “Are you guys okay?” Buffy dared to ask, slightly worried by his reaction.

     “I think so… he hadn’t texted me all day that’s why I was worried” He turned off his phone, giving himself a moment before replying “He’s been silence since yesterday”

     “Since your last kiss you mean” Andi suggested, to which he only nodded.

     “He knows someone else has their eyes on you, maybe that’s why he’s acting all weird around you”

     “He knows?” Cyrus exclaimed, puzzled.

     “Buffy!” Andi stared at her deadly, their friend realizing she shouldn’t have said that.

     “Wait, you guys knew too?!”

     “Kinda?” Andi pursed her lips, shrugging.

     “This new guy is not very subtle” Buffy sounded apologetic “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone had told TJ since people think you guys are dating already”

     Cyrus stayed quiet at that statement. He himself has always been good at picking up the little details on other’s relationships, he helped Jonah when Libby was upset with him, and he had helped Andi and Buffy countless of times throughout their short lives, so why was it so hard for him to do the same for his relationship. How can he had been so blind?

     He fixed his gaze on the black screen of his phone, expecting it to lit up at any moment to show another text from TJ. or was he expecting him to text him back first? Cyrus felt his phone vibrate suddenly, the screen lighting up and another text notification showing up.

     “Is it TJ?” The girls asked.

     Cyrus shook his head, clearly disappointed. “It’s Jason”

     Andi and Buffy didn’t wait to storm behind Cyrus, curious about what Jason had to say.

_‘ That place sounds neat :D Let’s go there one day ’_

     The new text right above the unread ' _hey_ ' from TJ.

     “He’s practically asking you on a date”

     “I know” Cyrus sighed.

     Don’t take him wrong, Cyrus was feeling quite overwhelmed by Jason’s confident demeanor; and he couldn’t say that he disliked it. It was refreshing to see someone take his time to get to know him, but even if Jason was a handsome and nice guy, he was not TJ.

     Cyrus groaned, taking one of Andi’s pillows and letting himself fall onto the bed. “Whoever said boys aren’t complicated clearly didn’t know what they were talking about”

     “Preach” Andi chuckled, going in for a hug which was very welcomed. He really needed that.

     “No more thinking about boys today! We’re going to my house and watch some 90s classics, what about that?” Buffy suggested.

     “Oh! oh! oh! yes, that sounds great!” Cyrus exclaimed. “Can I choose the movie?”

     “Of course, Cy, whatever you want” They smiled.

     His phone was soon forgotten all afternoon, not even opening the texts from both guys. He needed time off, time to find the courage to tell TJ how he felt, because if TJ was not going to say anything then he should at least try. 

     It was high time for the pantomime to stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! this took me longer than I thought it would be. I was just simply not happy with how things were going so I had to rewrite it soooo many times; but alas! it is here! I was planning on doing only two chapters but things were getting out of hands so I had to add another chapter and that will be the final one I promise! 
> 
> I hope you like this chapter and enjoy it. I haven't beta-ed this chapter so if there are any typos please tell me so I could fix it <3 
> 
> Comments and critics are well received and I would appreciate them <3
> 
> Thank you for reading

**Author's Note:**

> Rip me. this was supposed to be a short fic and it ended up becoming an abomination. Catch me writing tyrus at 5am! I literally took three different 'imagine' posts from tumblr and merge them together. I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Thanks to @maliaslydias and @judgemental-llama from tumblr for the feedback and beta-ing this story <33333 
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcomed <3


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